I'm using both a 27" iMac with latest Lion on it and a 11" MB Air same OS

I do NEED 32bpc render because is the only way my Vignette and multilevel stuff blends properly, I do NOT need a 32bpc deliverable tho,

-IF I export: Quicktime ProRes 422 (HQ) when I open it in every program the gamma is WAY darker

-IF I export: Quicktime Animation the gamma is darker when I open it in FCP and slightly slightly lighter (but it's ok) when I open it in Première BUT when I export from Première in ProRes 422 (HQ) I still got the same problem as above

1) Open Quicktime preferences and make sure "Enable Final Cut Studio color compatibility" is checked
2) Only judge color while playing in Final Cut Pro -- sometimes the still frame is not how FCP is actually interpreting it
3) Make sure all color interpretation is set to None--turn off Color management in project settings. Do not linearize, etc. The default keeps everything at the embedded color profile--should be the same when you render it out.
4) 32-bit should be fine.

looks like the probles is about "embedde color spaces",
footage was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II, and the straight H264 output seems fine for After Effects,
but once you turn it ProRes 422 (HQ), After Effects doesn't know how to handle it.

If I try to interpret the footage that option seems to be unavailable (embedded profile is sRGB), and my default project color space is "None"

The point is that I like and I do want colors and gamma as I see them in the AE Viewer and choosing a color space, no matter wich, messes things up dramatically.

So what I need to do is keep images just as they are, and the only solution I kinda sorted out is checking the "preserve rgb" option in the Export settings.

This thing is claimed by Adobe to "preserve the values numbers but not necessary the look", infact in the output file the gamma is identical and the colors are a little bit warmer.

I gave up and chose this solution cause I needed to deliver, by the way the best solution I think is to set IMMEDIATELY the project settings to match the embedded color profile, or viceversa where possible, and start color ONLY THEN.

Another lesson learned cursing, but I still think there must be a way to preserve the look you got on the viewer no matter what color profiles you're messing with.